Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yospringfield’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yospringfield’, characterized by its upright, somewhat spreading, compact and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dark green leaves; uniform and very early flowering; large decorative disbud-type inflorescences that are about 11.5 cm in diameter; attractive lavender pink ray florets; and excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences and leaves maintaining good substance and color for about three or four weeks in an interior environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andhereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Yospringfield.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new pot-type Chrysanthemum cultivarshaving desirable inflorescence forms and floret colors and goodpost-production longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inAugust, 1994, in Salinas, Calif., of the Dendranthema grandifloracultivar Charm, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,502, as the female,or seed, parent, with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selectionidentified as code number YB-6145, as the male, or pollen, parent.

The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Fort Myers, Fla., in November, 1995. The selection ofthis plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and floretcolors and good post-production longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttingsharvested in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla., has shownthat the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yospringfield has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yospringfield’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Yospringfield’ as a new and distinctChrysanthemum:

1. Upright, somewhat spreading, compact and uniformly mounded planthabit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Dark green leaves.

4. Uniform and very early flowering.

5. Large decorative disbud-type inflorescences that are about 11.5 cm indiameter.

6. Attractive lavender pink ray florets.

7. Excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences and leavesmaintaining good substance and color for about three or four weeks in aninterior environment.

The new Chrysanthemum can be compared to the parent Chrysanthemumcultivar Charm. However in side-by-side comparisons in Salinas, Calif.,and Leamington, Ontario, Canada, under commercial practice, plants ofthe new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Charm in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are less vigorous and shorter thanplants of the cultivar Charm. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum require anadditional week of long days to achieve the same finished height asplants of the cultivar Charm.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have slightly larger inflorescencesthan plants of the cultivar Charm.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week earlier thanplants of the cultivar Charm.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are narrower, longerand more numerous than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Charm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The photograph at the top of the first sheet comprises a top perspectiveview of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yospringfield’.

The photograph at the bottom of the first sheet comprises a close-upview of upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typicalinflorescences and upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typicalleaves of the cultivar Yospringfield.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a sideperspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yospringfield’ (left)and ‘Charm’ (right).

The photograph at the bottom of the third sheet comprises a close-upview of upper surfaces of typical inflorescences and leaves of plants of‘Yospringfield’ (left) and ‘Charm’ (right). Floret and foliage colors inthe photographs may appear different from the actual colors due to lightreflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Salinas, Calif., andLeamington, Ontario, Canada, under greenhouse conditions whichapproximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemumproduction. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in a 15-cmcontainer and pinched once. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivarYospringfield.

Commercial classification: Decorative disbud-type pot Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Charm,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,502.

Male or pollen parent.—Proprietary Dendranthema grandiflora seedlingselection identified as code number YB-6145.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.—Seven to ten days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative disbud-type pot Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle; stems mostly upright and somewhat outwardlyspreading; uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching;about four lateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex(pinching).

Plant height.—About 27 cm.

Plant width.—About 40 cm.

Stem color.—147A/147B.

Stem texture.—Pubescent.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 9.6 cm.Width: About 6.6 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmatelylobed, sinuses between lateral lobes mostly parallel. Texture: Upper andlower surfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent on lowersurface. Petiole length: About 2.1 cm. Color: Young foliage uppersurface: Darker than 147A. Young foliage lower surface: Slightly darkerthan 147B. Mature foliage upper surface: Darker than 147A. Maturefoliage lower surface: Slightly darker than 147A. Venation uppersurface: 147B. Venation lower surface: Close to 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative disbud-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage, arising from leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arrangedacropetally on a capitulum.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plant flowers in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plantsexposed to two weeks of long day/short night conditions after plantingfollowed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions flower aboutseven weeks later.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences and leaves will maintain goodcolor and substance for about three or four weeks in an interiorenvironment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—As a disbud-type, all lateral inflorescencesare removed to allow for maximum terminal inflorescence size. Oneinflorescence per lateral stem; about four inflorescences per plant.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Color:Close to 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 11.5 cm. Depth (height): About 2.8cm. Diameter of disc: About 7 mm, inconspicuous.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong with short corolla tube.Orientation: Initially upright then perpendicular to peduncle. Aspect:Straight; mostly concave. Length: About 5.7 cm. Width: About 1.2 cm.Apex: Rounded to emarginate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous,satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 293. Color: Whenopening: Initially white, then lavender pink, 75A-75B. Fully opened,upper surface: Lavender pink, 75A-75B. Fully opened, lower surface:Light lavender pink, 75C-75D.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular. Apex: Serrated. Length: About 6 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.3 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 45. Color: Immature: Greener than 154A. Mature:Apex: 9A. Base: White, 155D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 13A. Pollen: Amount: Scarce. Color: Close to 14A. Gynoecium:Present on both ray and disc florets.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yospringfield’, as illustrated and described. 